Community rallies to help Wilmington Sharks make it into the playoffs

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Wilmington Sharks are competing for some championship hardware. They even won game 1 of their championship series against the Lexington County Blowfish on Thursday.

But to even make it this far, it took some big help from the community to even get a game they needed underway. Last week after torrential rain hit Wilmington, Field Manager Russ Burroughs says the community showed up.

“Oh, it meant a lot because you’ve got staff, you’ve got host families, you’ve got players, coaches. Everybody came out to get that final game in just so we have a shot. So, we have a very tight nit community and that’s what we’re about, we’re about family here with the Wilmington Sharks.”

The sharks needed to get games in just to have a chance to make the playoffs and many chipped in.

“The effort that went into cleaning up this place extended beyond staff, interns, grounds keeping crew. It was host families with shop vacs as makeshift water pumps, beer garden employees in their bare feet with rakes and we ended up winning the game,” said Sharks scorekeeper Evan Johnson.

While the sharks gear up for their championship run, General Manager John Hunt says it wouldn’t be possible without the ones who always show up to cheer them on.

“It has been amazing to see the fans come out. The atmosphere in the ballpark has been tremendous. So, fans of the sharks, we absolutely thank you,” said Hunt.